I really dug tonight’s House (chess playing jerk kid). It was the only episode in memory where I thought the side-story was more interesting than the case.

They finally ended the ridiculous series-killing storyline (House v. Detective). This puts Hose back where I prefer it: bizarre medical mysteries and a predictable – even Encyclopedia Brown-esque – routine with snarky dialogue.

Just the way I like it.

The short write up on Fox’s House in the Fall TV Preview issue of Entertainment Weekly reports the producers are asking what happens if House doesn’t have his limp anymore.

That’s easy. There’s no show. Poof.

I said this a year ago on the subject:

“House is a great character because of the contrast of this most obvious weakness and his bitter, curt, authority.”

Without the limp, House is just an ass, and frankly the Cameron/House romance story line is already lame.

If House is going to be “fixed”, let me know which episode so I can cancel the Tivo’s Season Pass.

Thanks.

Update: 5 Sept. – Caught the season premier tonight. So, now that House’s leg is better, his staff and colleagues are crippling him. Uh. It was better the other way around. Before, his pain killer addiction was an on-going joke, a little something happening in the background. Now, if that’s his only flaw – it’s just sad. If this continues, it’ll be Gray’s Anatomy but for guys. Where the show’s namesake is the most boring, static character on camera. Ugh.

Elvis Mitchell interviewing Hugh Laurie from Fox’s House – my favorite new show. It’s a great listen. I was completely taken aback by Hugh’s extremely British accent. I think that’s a mark of a fantastic actor – being able to remove yourself from the character completely.

On a slightly related note, Cayenne Chris‘ voice does a marathon of identities in the latest Teknikal Diffikulties.

This reminds me that in this week’s episode, where House admits he still loves his ex, he attempts to walk without his cane.

Honestly, if he would have succeeded in making that first step, I would have stopped watching. House is a great character because of the contrast of this most obvious weakness and his bitter, curt, authority. If he ever loses that weakness, the show will jump the shark.

When James Spader started on the Practice, his dialogue transformed the show into something worth watching. The same is true of Boston Legal, well, was true. The “We’re firing Alan Shore” storyline is tiresome. Firing Alan Shore would make all the fans stop watching. The threat alone turned me off.

Fortunately, Jen introduced me to House. Gregory House has the same snappy, off-color, well-written, adult dialog as Alan Shore. The shift from law firm to hospital gives us another show with disgusting zooming-into-the-human-body special effects, a la CSI.

Tonight’s episode answered why House needs a cane. Great story. Until tonight, I was completely uninvested.